Random: Here's Steam Deck Running The GameCube And Wii Emulator Dolphin

Have it reserved, mostly using it for Steam but of course I may install Windows and put some emulators on it. I kinda miss Pikmin 2 and TTYD, as well as some N64 games, maybe a few DS and 3DS games as well, I dunno.

Honestly, after learning you could use emulators on this my interest for the steam deck skyrocketed, if I'm able to get one, 100% using it as an emulator machine. It'd be neat to play these officially, but nintendo hates providing their games so eh whatever

Imagine playing netplay Wii/GC on a handheld

@Doofenshmirtz Yeah, and hell no I'm not paying $50 for just a couple of N64 games, lol

It’ll be perfect for emulators. Vita’s missing everything post PS1 although Moonlight means I’ve streamed from my laptop things like Metroid Prime and 007 Nightfire. Being able to play these games on an admittedly bulky handheld will still be a game changer.

How well does it perform though? There's no videos of it.

My first thought when preordering it was exactly this. A handheld that is basically jailbroke to begin with. We shall see.

Hel yeah, pre ordered this the first week it was announced.

@Joeynator3000 Yeah I also got it reserved, pretty much the minute it came out. Still waiting on them to let me go ahead and order it.

@JayJ Yeah, not entirely sure when Q2 starts...but they did say that they'll start shipping these this month.

My preorder says after Q2 2022. So still a ways off.
Putting windows on it will probably tank it's performance. Microsoft sucks and that's why they went with a lightweight Linux.
I'd want to do more with it than just play games though. Docked it could be your main PC.

I knew this thing was going to be an emulation machine.

@Joeynator3000

No need for Windows to just run emulators. Works fine on Linux as well.

I've got one reserved and it's estimated to come in Q2, although I'm hoping enough people will cancel to bump me up since I got my order in within 10 minutes of reservations going live. I'm personally not interested in using emulators, though, so I'm not going to use it for that. It'll just make my Steam backlog way easier to work through.

Can it run yuzu is the question. If yes might have to ditch my switch for this.

How does one use an emulator on the steam deck? is there an linux based program to run these emulated games? I hope once steam deck comes out youtube or reddit will provide instructions on how to set it up as a emulator machine.

@dres Some emulators don't support Linux

Can we have an article showing us how to get Dolphin and games up and running on this thing please.

My order says after Q2, but I'm in no rush. The Steam Deck looks amazing, and you can already download Retroarch from the Steam story which comes with various cores. Be great if Dolphin managed to also find its way onto the Steam store.

@nmanifold ....Wait, Retro is on Steam?
looks it up
...Huh...lol

Pretty much worth it for the emulator alone.

But I have no use for one yet, an I want to see how it does. No doubt it will be great i'm sure.

I like the idea of using this for emulation.

I'm also happy to wait for Nintendo to do it though. I share people's disappointment on the lack of access to older games, especially certain consoles - Gamecube being a big one - but then I look at my ridiculous backlog of games and I realise that I really do not need access to these games yet. So I'm happy to wait.

Nintendo will get these to us eventually.

@tyranny_life since ordering steam deck i thought I'd try linux on my main pc as a dualboot. Barely use Windows now. There's much less linux can't do than you'd thínk.

@Joeynator3000 Which ones?

@nocdaes Nintendo I don't think will do it officially ever again, they only care to offer their classics as a subscription service though I'd love to see more physical collections like the Mario 3D all-stars

Also this more of a bonus, don't know why someone would buy this purely for emulation alone when it can run modern AAA titles. PC gamers are the core focus here.

Next week on EmulationLife…

Can't wait for them to get Yuzu (Nintendo Switch emulator) running on this thing. Lol, FU Nintendo basically once I get this.

Given it's essentially just a decent spec pc in portable form, of course it can run Dolphin. If you want you can remove Steam OS and stick any OS on you like, so it can do anything a traditional PC can.

@Ryu_Niiyama More articles on emulation will be welcome.

this website has some real identity problems

Awwwww, yoa gonna get in twoubleeeeee!

Piwacy is steawin'!

I'm tewwin' my Ninten-Dad on you!

@lolwhatno Are you new here? He's been around a while.

@Bustacap I kinda agree, as of the past few weeks in particular, it feels like they've been doing more coverage of mods, hacks, fan projects, etc. than the official announcements, which is all I'm really here to see. I think they should put stuff like this in a separate category that isn't on the main news page.

The first reason i want this system, is not for emulation, thats just a bonus.
My main reason is to play my games on the go.
It even runs a heavy games like Cyberpunk etc.
I have a lot of games on steam.
So yeah, this systems preorders went like crazy.
If i am going to play emulation games, it will only be retro like, ness, sness, neogeo, sega, arcade games. (Maybe) but the main reason is playing my games on the go.

Valve does what Nintendon't! I need one right now, I can't wait to play Cyberpunk 2077, Deus Ex and Metroid Prime, F-zero X / GX and it's mods on this thing.

I get the feeling the Steam Deck will suffer from exactly the same supply problems the PS5 and XBX are for a while yet (betting way into 2023). For me personally I’m just happy to play what Nintendo and it’s Japanese partner companies are putting out. I really don’t need gaming to be more complex and expensive at the moment..

I wonder how Nintendo will react to this. That is if they react to it at all.

It’s an amazing console. Imagine that, if you have a steam account with a lot of games, you don’t have to buy them again like it’s the case with nintendo switch, where 10 year old ports cost 50-60 dollars.

@Wilshiire
This is a PC in a Handheld Formfactor.
You can install what ever you want

@Topic Clear Emulators are a Benefit, but there would be cheaper ways to use some.
Would love to have one, because of the Hardware Power, but i can't justify it with all the Devices haha
I

@Matthew90 Yes it can, Yuzu have been working on Steam Deck support since November/December and it's running well.

@Gwynbleidd RetroArch is already on Steam!

@Caolan114 you freaking can with this badboy

Just ordered the ayn Odin for emulation but when this becomes more readily available then I'll bite

Wondered about picking one up pretty much entirely for the emulation prospects honestly.

@Folderoll Honestly if it ran Adobe programs without Wine I'd be all over it.

@SmashFan347 Behind the scenes I doubt they're happy but there's not anything they can do or say publicly. "please don't" lol

@SmashFan347 i mean Nintendo can react however they want. Its just that they really have no way to stop any of this.

Now this is the Nintendo news I come for! Computer gaming, more emulation, piracy!

I wish it success. Nintendo needs alittle push. They get away with so much

@UglyCasanova How dare you use the PI word! It's called "Preservation" now!

Not surprising but not a thing that you'd get just for emulating GC etc. There's better options for less money

@Gwynbleidd Nintendo can't and doesn't go after emulation software

Q2 can't come soon enough. My poor old 1000 Vita won't last forever! Between the Switch and a decently modded SD (Citra, Dolphin, PCSX, RPSC3), just drop me on a deserted island (with power and wifi) and I'm a happy camper. Given Big N's commitment to enabling preservationists, I am particularly interested to see Citra and Dolphin running.

emulation is like porn. access to the forbidden seems genius and crafty until after you bust your nut and realize why nintendo doesn't bother extending its library to include redundancy.

@Bustacap
To be fair, it is talking about an emulator that runs Nintendo games...

Plus, I'm doubtful Push Square and Pure Xbox cover any Steam-related news, and there is no community under the same host that reports on Steam news.

@MrGawain the difference is that Valve formed a line with preorders. Anyone who wants one just needs to get in line, aka make a preorder. That takes all the worry and hassle out of the situation for people atleast.

My Steam Deck preorder: Q2 2022
Free Online Multiplayer all day

Can’t wait to see one of these in person although I think it might suffer due to chip shortages but don’t wanna put my cash down until I have actually tried it

@ModdedInkling well the steam deck is viewed as a switch competitor, not a playstation or Xbox competitor.
It's handheld, roughly same form factor, dockable, and not crazy expensive either.

Hackers do what Nintendon't.

@SmashFan347

Nintendo are not gonna react to the steam deck. Why would they when it's gonna be a niche product.

Before anyone jumps on my post. I am not saying the steam deck isn't a good product etc etc. Looks great for sure. Just talking about business and it will be lucky to even catch attention from Nintendo.

Good thing is that the steam deck can be a success without competing with Nintendo. As long as it hits the numbers valve expect then it's all good.

@a1904 what do you think of the Ayn Odin Pro?

I considered it! Then decided I would rather get a PS5 as a counterpart to my Switch. The Steam Deck is powerful, but not as powerful as a PS5.

I had zero interest in steam deck as a console (mainly due to me not been a PC gamer its pricing and the size) but the more i think about it, the most sense it makes as an emulator machine. This could put to rest my old PSVita as my emu machine moving forward

This is gonna be a beast of an emulation device. Not only it will play GameCube and Wii via Dolphin with no problems, but it'll play Wii U with Cemu and might even play Switch games with Yuzu, though I doubt it'll run all Switch games very well.

@lolwhatno it is indeed a nice comunity if i may say so, stay as long as you want. 👍

Valve does what Nintenwont.

@Dr_Lugae
Exactly
Considering that in a year Nintendo wont be selling a lot of its legacy content, and with no virtual console equivalent on switch this will eventually become the only way to actually keep the games.

@kobashi100 yeah the steam deck feels like its closer to the other handheld PC devices like the GPD win and whatnot.

it does seem like it has the most mainstream appeal of those but is still part of its own thing and can coexist with the switch (and hopefully a switch 2/super switch down the line)

@GrailUK well retroarch is on Steam now so it'll be incredibly easy and even the standalone ones will be very simple

From what I have been reading, Steam Deck emulates Switch better that Switch plays it's own games, let that sink in...

@kobashi100 That's one of the ones I was thinking about. Personally not interested until they become a lot cheaper but if emulation is all you care about it sounds like a good option rather than spending a lot more on a Steamdeck

@Doofenshmirtz get a RetroidPocket 2+

@Jokerwolf it costs 2x as much, is much larger and 5 years newer. What part of its better performance surprises you?

Maybe this will kick Nintendo into gear to add more systems to their service, even if the games continue to be dripfeed

Don't see what's the big deal here, the Switch as well as any Chinese Android, Linux, Windows, and iOS device could run emulators from Atari 2600 to Wii just fine, it's really up to the owner if they want to turn it into an open source device.

@Jokerwolf Steam Deck couldn't even play its own games properly (some which even works better on Switch without emulation) let that sink in otherwise there wouldn't be any verification process in place. At least the Switch had a reason to why some games not run properly, Steam Deck as powerful as it is should had no excuse.

@Specter_of-the_OLED Well it was a comparison to how advanced mobile chipsets are getting, I am excited to see what SoC is in the Switch 2, supposedly it is fully custom and nvidia is working with them to build it. My guess is they are going to have the newest dlss twch or a custom version of it to push 4k.

@theGamerPad The base Steam Deck is about the same price as the Switch OLED in Canada, and the Switch Lite doesn't count as it is incomplete and missing the only feature that made it a "Switch" and most people getting a Switch now are going with the OLED over the base. Also a lot of testing has been done and there is no great significance to in having an SSD vs SD card for storage on the Steam Deck so unless you feel the need for less glare the base model is the way to go bringing the price right in-line with the Switch OLED pricing. Valve planned this pretty well over all.

I can't stop laughing at how everybody is mad about the online stores shutting down, but if they announced a direct of some sort, it would immediately turn into " me and my bestie nintendo!". I'm expecting the steam deck to fail though, because there's only one core audience it's hitting, being the PC audience.

@Zeldawakening this news is no different to the countless Chinese handhelds which offer a route to emulation. Nintendo won't care one bit.

@Doofenshmirtz you can get a 1st gen switch and mod it to run emulators too alongside android games and switch games

Ehh can run dolphin off my phone not very impressive

And this matter What Switch? Nothing... unless they violate IP/CopyRight Laws.

This is the best picture there is?

I can't wait to get the steam deck - so much more useful than a switch (Im a PC gamer so I already have a game library, but it is far cheaper to get PC games, while $80 on switch you could get a better port/version on PC for like 10-20)

@Sanjithechef This is why people Troll Switch forums site. If it was so good why even post here? PC games you don't own remember that.

Is it technically capable of emulating Switch games as well? Probably...

https://www.reddit.com/r/yuzu/comments/onb3pc/steam_deck_and_switch_emulation/

Probably, increasing the price of the Nintendo Online Expansion Pack. Nintendo doesn't do logical things.

@Yorumi Still more effort than Nintendo has done with their emulators

I don't like the ergonomics of if, it looks very uncomfortable. Not that the regular Switch is very comfortable to hold for hours on end, but Steam Deck is heavier and the button layout is not ideal. I'll stick to my laptop and wait for a revision.

@Yorumi Uh, yeah, you absolutely own Nintendo's physical games, what are you on about? You just have to understand what owning a game means, i.e. you own the game as a product, not the individual data assets within, those are copyrighted material. Likewise, not allowed to rip and distribute copies of that data. Neither of these mean not owning it.

Patching is a given these days, due to the much higher complexity of modern games, it's pretty much inevitable that some things will escape testing. But Nintendo does a MUCH better job than any other developer out there to have a good version of the game on the cart. I can't remember if a single Nintendo game where I had to download a patch to make it playable. I've only heard about Diamond/Pearl basically requiring a day 1 patch, but I don't own those remakes. Heck, on some games they never even released a patch whatsoever. Just these past few days, I played Pokémon Legends Arceus from start to finish without a single patch.

@Yorumi Can you please elaborate? I don't think I've played a single Nintendo game that had a mandatory day 1 patch. On the other hand, on Sony and Microsoft consoles, many games are literally unplayable (not using the meme, but actually literally) out of the box without a day 1 patch.

Anyways, personally I buy 99% physical on Switch. I own very few digital games, just to use my Gold points mostly, plus a couple that I really wanted but physical were Limited Run (no interest in those).

@Troll_Decimator Basically any game over 20gb, after compression, such as doom and the Witcher 3.

Games that are too big to fit on the cart
Or games that have last minute patches because they're making last minute bug fixes before lunch or trying to combat piracy leaking the games early, such as some of the Pokemon games.

Nowadays, Owning a cartridge is like owning part of the game most of the time. Thankfully, if you do some stuff to your switch that Nintendo might not like and might sue you over, then you can really back it up and make it yours.

But in reality there's not much difference between a bunch of bits on a hard drive and a bunch of bits on a cartridge, especially if you buy from DRM free outlets like yorumi pointed out.

@Jackuu I'm talking about first party Nintendo games. Other than the gen 4 remakes, which to be fair are made by a 3rd party that had never made a Nintendo game before, I don't think there's a single Nintendo game that requires a patch to experience all the content available. There are some games that have added content with patches or some fixes here and there, but nothing major. Then you've got Link's Awakening which I WISH they would update to iron out the framerate but nope, not a single patch.

Is Pokemon not a first party Nintendo game?

@Yorumi That's extra content that was not planned for launch though, you can still play all the content that was at launch without an update. Compare this to getting a game disk for Halo on Xbox which basically only has the entitlement but the game you pretty much have to entirely download on your hard disk to even be able to launch it. The latter is no different to purchasing a digital copy.

@Jackuu As mentioned, it's the only Nintendo first party IP game that needs a day 1 patch. It is pretty commendable they we had to wait 5 years to get a mandatory day 1 patch. Clearly Nintendo goes out of their way to ensure that if you buy a cartridge, you have a fully playable game in that data, without download required. This Pokémon game is the sole exception and Arceus also did not require a download. Nintendo is THE ONLY platform holder in the entire industry commited to this. And I'm certainly hoping it will remain this way for the eventual Switch 2.

You mean content that would have been in the game at launch a decade ago but they decided to cut so that they could plan content updates.

Still boggles my mind that the coffee shop was added in a later update how lazy can they be lol

Why is this suddenly an issue of first party versus third party when it's an issue regardless?
This is about being able to own your games on the console. Fact of the matter is most third-party games, which constitutes the vast majority of games, on the switch require massive patches for the various reasons stated above.
You keep trying to make all these exceptions or exclusions when at the end of the day you don't own most of the full game anymore on the cartridge. Plain and simple.

@lolwhatno Cool, welcome aboard! I actually didn't know that either lol, so I may hop over to PushSquare sometime. Maybe if I ever get my hands on a PS5. I've only ever owned Nintendo consoles because I like family games and cartoony platformers. But I'm really happy to see Sony going back to their mascot platformer roots with stuff like Sackboy and Astrobot. I always loved Crash and Spyro. Hoping they revive Jak & Daxter someday before long.

I really want this to succeed. With news like this, I'll look forward to it being my number one portable emulation device.

it's not really an ideal portable system tho since it's so big

@Folderoll what version you running?

I’m sitting back and watching this to see what happens. Steam doesn’t have a good track record when it comes to hardware, so I’m not too sure on buying 1st-gen. The ability to install Linux, Windows and emulators makes this easy standout though. It could potentially replace all my gaming hardware, possibly even become a replacement for work hardware. One device to rule them all.

@Yorumi Um, no, I'm simply saying that Nintendo is the only company that releases proper physical copies. That's a fact, whether you like it or not. Yes, it sucks that not all the content is on the cart for some sports titles mainly, but the alternative would be for those games to never be updated, which is worse.

@Yorumi Those games have had content "cut" in order to release in time. This happens with every single game ever, whether they get updated or not. Some content never makes it to release. They are still complete games without said content. I played Mario Tennis Aces without any updates and it was good enough. Even better with updates, but it's totally fine without.

Also, you are the one that is moving the goalposts, actually, not me. I never said that all the content is on the cart. I said the games are perfectly playable without any updates. There is a difference between the two. Do you need all the content that has ever released for a game to be fully playable? No you don't. If that was the case, then Mario Kart 8 on Wii U would be considered unplayable because it doesn't have the Switch content or the DLC, but the base game itself is perfectly fine.

@Eleventy8 Ubuntu 21.1

@Eleventy8 Think that's a valid concern, but I still went for it as soon as pre orders went live. I figured:
1) It's a pc as you say, so can it be that bad even if valve ditch all support?
2) If it is that bad the early reviews will point that out and I can cancel.

More excited for this than I was for 3DS ,switch or vita tho. Have a gaming laptop but I just really like handhelds and there's tons of games on steam I've not played that I'd love to play curled up on the sofa or in 20 min bursts.

@Yorumi That said with all the day one patches and even nintendos own practices can you even say you really own most physical switch games?
This is why one buys a microSD to download those patches to. Also Valve can't Docked to TV why even make something to compete with Switch if your device can't even Dock to allow game play and then you have to have a PC do game. What was the point to buying a Steam Deck in the first place. Also PC requires a Wall Outlet Power to work unplug and it dead weight. Steam Deck aka Switch Dock...just think of the name they are faking the name to Switch. So LAME to make such a name to try to act like the Switch. If you want to compete with Switch why can't they make the Deck DOCK and output to TV to play. Oh wait you pay ubber $$$ and can't even do that. Ask yourself whom is getting Screwed over here.

@SwitchForce
You can dock the Steam Deck to a TV, I have no idea why you would think that doesn't work.
Also I have no idea what you mean by the "PC needs a power outlet" statement. I mean, you can get PCs that don't need that, they are called "Laptop" and also "Steam Deck" among other options.
Even if you couldn't dock your Steam Deck, that would still not make it pointless at all, as it gives you the easy ability to play on the go and you could still continue playing at home on the PC you may also have. Doesn't matter though because, again, you can dock the Steam Deck.
All you did was explaining to us why the Switch Light is pointless for some reason, and I wouldn't agree with that either.

Though I guess you are just trolling... The naming thing you mentioned is beyond ridiculous.

@SwitchForce I feel like you have some misconceptions. I don't have a Steam Deck yet, obviously, but I have a similar product. The GPD Win 3, which also has a dock. I've used the dock many times with my TV. The only difference between it and a Switch is just needing to navigate the Windows interface. If I launch something like Launchbox Big Box or Steam Big Picture first, and pair a controller, then drop it on the dock...it's a very similar experience as using a Switch.

You need a power source plugged into these devices AND the Switch if you want any long dock gaming. But they also all (Switch, Win 3, Steam Deck) play undocked and run off battery. So I am genuinely confused what your point is about power cords.

This Steamdeck will be an emulation machine!

Gamecube, Wii, Dreamcast, PS1, PS2, PS3 etc.

@Yorumi Deck doesn't output to TV where did you get that notion. That truly tells alot.

@Kisame83 Here's comes the hatin but well that's just life but they missed the point already and I could care less.

@SwitchForce It's not "hatin," it's a legit question. You made some concerns/complaints that don't seem to line up with the actual product. For example, you're digging in on this notion the dock can't output. I'm GENUINELY curious why you think it can't output, when that is 100% the point of a dock. I'm typing this from my docked GPD Win 3 connected via HDMI to a monitor, and it works just as well if I unplug from the monitor and plug the exact same cable into one of my television sets. Steam Deck's dock has the same capability.

And you said a PC is dead weight when not plugged in. That's true of a desktop, but Steam Deck is designed as a portable device so it is more comparable to a laptop. It runs on a batter and doesn't need to be plugged in at all times.

Again, I'm not hating. I have had a similar device to the Deck for a year now, am using said device as we speak, and am just trying to correct you on the practicality of said devices.

Poor battery life in this thing is a big no for me.

@SwitchForce you really dont know what a PC is huh?

@Folderoll solid choice, I’ve always gone Linux Mint myself.

“Honestly pretty surprised the Dolphin team was able to get a dev unit from Valve.”

Honestly? Judging from the comments here it seems very much in Valve’s interest to sell this as an emulation machine.